Dec 26 Reuters Apple filed an appeal on Tuesday of a decision to ban imports of Apple Watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo after U.S. President Joe Biden39;s administration declined to veto a government tribunal.

The tech giant also filed an emergency request on Tuesday for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban.

It asked the Federal Circuit to pause the ban at least until U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo39;s patents, and to put the ban on hold while the court considers Apple39;s request. The customs office is due to make its decision on Jan. 12, Apple said.

Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch.

The U.S. International Trade Commission39;s ITC order bars imports and sales of Apple Watches that use technology for reading bloodoxygen levels. Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020.

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the ban following careful consultations, and the ITC39;s decision became final on Dec. 26, the Trade Representative39;s office said on Tuesday.

We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the…